Cosmic
by ValorTheory
Summary: In which Eren discovers something more than just the rest of the universe. Levi has an ancient device that was once called a telescope before the titans. Looking out Levi's window, the surly corporal beside him, it's a wonder Eren didn't know these things before. Levi/Eren. Oneshot.


Disclaimer: I don't own it.

...

_Author's Note: I just finished watching this gorgeous anime, and absolutely had to write for my newest OTP. Enjoy!_

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Eren knew he had no place being in Corporal Levi's room, really, he did. And yet he found himself standing there, the curt warrior's back to him as he stood at the window attentively. The shorter man was crouched over a strange object, holding it close to his face as he pointed it up and out the open window. It was roughly an arm's length, a metal tube of some sort, and the young recruit wondered what the corporal was doing with such a bizarre tool.

"About damn time. I thought you were just going to stand there all night. Stupid brat." Levi didn't face him, just adjusted the knobs on the strange device, squinting into its lens. He was, for once, out of his typical uniform in just a long-sleeved white shirt and loose tan pajama bottoms. It was almost nice to see him like that.

Eren swallowed nervously. "I'm sorry, Corporal. I was just wandering around and your door was open, so I wasn't sure..." That was a lie. He hadn't just been wandering around. He couldn't sleep. Not with every anxiety poking at him as he lay down in that dungeon — the titan shifting, being the last hope, his responsibilities... Levi merely grunted in response, returning his attention out the window and up at the clear night sky.

Finally distracted, Eren strained to get a better look without further intruding into the commander's quarters, but he grew bolder after a few seconds when Levi didn't order him out. He carefully approached him, stopping a few feet behind, noting the way the moonlight bounced off of his raven locks.

It was strange how small he actually was.

"Um, Corporal?"

"What?" he asked, deadpanned.

"What is that?"

Levi finally stood and met Eren's anxious gaze coolly. His face as expressionless as ever, he spoke. "What do you know about anything before the titans?"

The question threw the young soldier off guard. His mind drawing a blank, he looked away, not wanting to embarrass himself with his ignorance. "Not much," he relented. "Just the bare minimum that was taught at school. Armin showed me a book about the outside world once, but I don't think that's what you're asking."

He crossed his arms. "You're not as brainless as you look then." He placed a hand on the mystery device and looked at Eren almost patiently. "I've been to the military archives. Snuck out of a meeting in the Capital and broke in when I was still climbing ranks. This is called a telescope."

He let his brows furrow as he repeated the strange term. "Telescope..." The word felt like cotton on his tongue and unfamiliar. "So, this was around before the titans?"

Levi nodded. He seemed oddly relaxed to Eren, and it transferred over to the teenager, making him more comfortable with the Corporal than he should have felt. "They used it to look at the stars and other planets."

"Other planets?!" he gasped. That was ludicrous. He could barely imagine outside the fallen wall Maria, much less other worlds entirely! But he knew the captain told the truth. Coming to grips with this incredible fact, he let his curiosity have free reign over his tongue, asking his superior all kinds of questions.

Levi was pleasantly tolerant of his insistent questions, only glaring at him or rolling his eyes when he became annoyed, sometimes calling him an idiot, but fulfilling his curiosity nonetheless. Were there titans on other worlds? People? Grass or horses? Kings? How far away were they? Could they ever be reached? How did comets move so fast? He was amazed to learn of the dead science of astronomy, how people had once gazed up at the night sky, able to contemplate the entire universe that surrounded the m.

It filled Eren with a sense of wonder and awe. But he stared up long enough to feel the tug of freedom, and to know that he was still trapped behind walls. It made him bitter. To think that humanity had abandoned such ambitions when muffled in the shadows of the titans. Where would they be now if it hadn't happened? Would he be in a classroom instead of a uniform? They were trapped in cages. Crawling in the dark. Like birds with clipped wings.

He looked up at Levi, a sad smile on his face. The thought occurred to him that maybe Levi still had his wings, was still able to fly. It certainly looked that way on the battlefield. His admired superior was always stretching his wings, trying to move forward. And yet he managed to stay close enough to the earth to see the rest of them and not tut at their own broken feathers.

"Wow," he breathed. "I had no idea that people were capable of that kind of thing." The corporal's expression did not alter, but his eyes seemed to soften somewhat as he shifted to the side and nodded his head at the telescope.

At Eren's puzzled look, he glared at him. "What? Do you want a written invitation? Take a look already." He practically shoved the boy at the instrument.

Catching himself, Eren let his murky blue-green eye gaze through the lens, and he gasped in awe at the sight that greeted him. The cosmos spread before him, seemingly closer than he had ever imagined before. He resisted the temptation to reach out to touch them.

His moment with the universe was cut off as Levi yanked him backwards by his shirt collar. He stumbled, having momentarily forgotten about the corporal's unprecedented strength. "It's getting late, brat. You're useless of you fall asleep during training tomorrow. Take a shit or something and go the hell to bed."

Eren surprised himself when he raised his voice in protest. "But - "

"It'll still be here tomorrow, moron. Go to bed. That's an order," he said, his voice dropping slightly with irritation. Eren nodded quickly, saluting his captain before leaving the pristine room, closing the door softly behind him as he made his way back to the basement.

He fell asleep. He dreamed that he held a star in his hand.

...

He jerked to a halt in mid air, the straps of his gear digging painfully into his skin. Eren sighed and shot himself back to the high tree limb from which he had fallen. He and the rest of the new recruits were being taught various difficult techniques to use with the 3D maneuvering gear. This reverse spin just was not working out for him, mostly because he wasn't as focused as he would normally be.

He looked up through the leaves on the branch up at the sky, his mind for once not occupied by thoughts of titans, training, or the military. Instead he thought back to the previous night. About the four other planets, Venus, Mars, Mercury, and Jupiter, they knew existed within their 'solar system.' He wanted to get into the secret archives, to see what the world had appeared to be though the eyes of those before this age of terror. Armin would love it.

He imagined reading over old books, dusting off ancient equipment, Levi explaining each item's purpose as he leaned close...

"OW!"

He collided brutally with the ground, shaking him out of thoughts he knew were becoming dangerous.

"Eren! What the hell are you doing?" He rubbed his head as he heard Aurou approaching, embarrassment creeping up his neck. "What's wrong with you today, kid? This is pathetic," the man sneered.

He went through the rest of training sluggishly, trying in vain to focus on the precision of his movements. The day rolled on slowly at the pace of his chores, and he sighed gratefully when the dinner bell tolled.

The muffled sounds of conversation and laughter swallowed him as he took his now usual seat at the table alongside the rest of Levi's squad. Petra and the others smiled as they conversed, leaving Eren to his thoughts. He went back to his fall during practice earlier, what he'd been thinking about exactly when it had happened.

Levi, close to him, leaning in as his deep and collected voice ghosted over his skin. What was he thinking? He held a deep admiration and respect for the corporal. Humanity's strongest. Who wouldn't? Of course it was natural to want some kind of special recognition from the man, but Eren couldn't be sure if that was what he really wanted from him.

He thought about the stars and Levi's abnormal patience with him as he asked question after question about the unknown. Would he have done that for anyone else? Eren couldn't be sure.

The stern leader was currently seated at the head of the table, as per the norm. With his rank, he probably could have eaten within his private quarters by himself, but he chose to dine with his comrades instead, though he rarely said much.

Their eyes locked suddenly, the silent transaction going seemingly unnoticed by everyone else as Levi held his stare evenly. He tilted his head slightly, the unspoken invitation hanging in the air between them. Eren felt his cheeks warming as he offered a quick nod and turned back to his food.

When he wasn't looking, scout leader Hanji smirked, and let her brow raise at Levi, who promptly glared at her.

Finishing his remaining duties with surprising speed and rigor, Eren found himself strolling the halls that led to Corporal Levi's room. Knocking softly on the wood of the door, he waited for the curt command to enter. When Eren closed the door behind him, he saw that Levi had pulled two chairs next to the telescope, which sat at the same spot as it had the night previous.

Levi glanced at him over his shoulder. "Quit looking so eager. Stupid brat," he muttered. Still, Eren was completely undeterred, the sight of an extra chair waiting for him making him feel incredibly light. He smiled, moving to sit next to the surly captain.

He let his hand glide over the cool metal of the telescope, lowering his head to gaze through it once more. The night sky was littered with stars, and Eren gladly admired them up closer. He looked over at the shorter man at the sound of rustling papers.

"What are those?"

"Star charts," came the gruff reply. "You've probably never needed to know it, since you've only worked within the walls so far, but navigation is essential when you're out there. The last thing you want is to get lost in titan territory."

Eren nodded in understanding, guessing that it was a good back up if his compass ever failed him. "Okay, but why are there so many?"

"Idiot." Levi spread two different sheets across his lap, pointing at them. "They change. The earth rotates on an axis, as you should damn well know. While it does that, what do you think causes the seasons to change?"

Recalling his abysmal education in the sciences when he was a boy, Eren thought of the sun. "Orbiting the sun," he answered.

"So you're mind isn't rotting after all." He pulled out an elaborate drawing of the approximated solar system, his fingers tracing the thin lines that displayed the earth's path. Eren unconsciously leaned closer so that their shoulders brushed against one another. Levi shot him a look, but didn't comment. "As we move in space, we see different stars, which is why you need to know which ones will be where at any given time of year. The only constant is -"

"The north star," he interrupted, staring intently at the map. He expected a reprimand for cutting the corporal off, but received nothing but a contemplating stare. Eren blushed faintly when he realized how close he was to his commander. Shoulder to shoulder, faces not even a foot apart.

He pulled back, lifting the telescope at the base to watch through it once more. He could feel Levi's steel grey eyes on him. "Right," he said.

Eren bit his lip as he faced the intimidating fighter. "Sir, I was wondering...I mean, why are you doing this with me?" He rubbed at the back of his neck. "I'm very grateful, but I don't really understand your...intentions."

A thin eyebrow lifted questioningly. "My intentions? You really are a stupid brat. Figure it out yourself."

Eren didn't bring it up again.

...

Three more days passed, and Eren spent each night for a couple of hours in Corporal Levi's room, learning about the stars and dead studies. He came to look forward to this time at the end of each day, relaxing with the neat freak and listening to him speak.

He kept trying to figure it out. He didn't want to disappoint the captain, after all. He wracked his brain and pursued his training with renewed vigor in hopes of impressing him, but couldn't put his finger on it.

Finally a week had gone by, and he could tell that Levi was becoming impatient with him. His answers to Eren's questions became more clipped, and he dismissed him earlier than usual. The brunet was left wondering what he'd done. Or maybe, what he hadn't done.

He pondered this as he stirred his soup absently with his spoon at lunch, leaning his chin in his hand. The swirling liquid reminded him of the galaxies Levi had told him about, and he found something in his chest aching for the corporal's company.

"Eren, hey!" He was jarred from his musings by Hanji, who plopped next to him and invaded his personal space.

"Oh, hi, Hanji."

She took no further prompting as she launched into a lengthy rant about the properties of titan flesh and what made them evaporate. He listened half-heartedly, not really paying attention until she suddenly paused and poked his temple childishly. "Say, you have a crush on Levi, right?"

His eyes widened as he spun his head to face her. "WHAT!"

Her face remained unperturbed, smirking somewhat evilly. "I'll take that as a yes."

"Wait, what? No!"

She was then in his face, her glasses glinting as she frowned at him. "So, you're telling me that you don't like the corporal? Even when you visit him every night?" Oh, those eyes were so not believing him right now.

He sputtered, losing his composure in the face of the scout leader's daring questions and increasingly invasive position hovering over him. She leered at him dangerously before seemingly forgetting the entire thing and returning to her meal.

It was yet another thing to add to his growing list of things to think about.

...

He reached his breaking point two days later.

Corporal Levi was watching him emotionlessly as he looked between the charts spread out on the floor and the lens of the telescope, memorizing the positions of the constellations. Even as he committed each to his memory, his mind was otherwise occupied with other things. Levi's cold stare. Wings.

He looked up at the officer for just a moment, only to find himself the absolute center of his attention. The muscles in his face had not so much as twitched from their normal position, but something flashed behind steel irises. Something lit.

That was when Eren finally figured it out. That's when he cracked.

Levi's lips were dry but soft against his own. Eren brushed his mouth tentatively over the corporal's, and opened his eyes to see the most amount of expression he'd ever witnessed on his face. Cold grey irises seemed to darken beneath half lidded eyes.

Realizing what he'd just done, he pulled away with a vivid blush staining his cheeks. He wasn't sure whether to be afraid or relieved at the fact that he felt no bruises coming on yet. He took in a breath to apologize, but stopped himself when Levi's head merely tilted to the side, his gaze composed and calculating once more.

He looked away, unable to bear the weight of that stare. "Sorry. I guessed wrong, Corporal." He moved to get up, but was held firmly in place by a cool hand on his wrist.

"What? About my intentions?" He hesitantly nodded. Levi glared at him, but not harsher than usual. "Dumb ass."

And then there was a hand at the back of his neck and pressure pulling him down and warm, soft lips on his. Levi pulled back just far enough to look Eren in the eye and smirk slightly. "C-coporal," he started, eye wide.

"No." Levi stood, running his fingers through Eren's hair before griping it at the roots and tugging his head back to expose the boy's neck. "In here, you call me by my name. Understood, _Eren?" _He shivered at the vibration of his name rolling off of the older man's tongue next to his ear. He could only nod in response. Levi's fingers tugged insistently at his hair once more. "Say it."

"Levi," he gasped.

He was rewarded with a searing kiss, this one burning and fierce. He sighed at the contact, and felt teeth nipping at his lower lip. Levi's hands had wandered down his chest to rest on his hips, pulling them closer to the corporal. A demanding tongue pushed into the warm and wet cavern of his mouth, sliding along his own absolutely perfectly. He failed to suppress a moan.

Gaining confidence, Eren reached to grip Levi's trim waist and draw him in closer. Needing air, they parted reluctantly. Eren's eyes were dazed and content, highlighted by the moon's bright beams. Suddenly, Levi was stepping away from him, and he very nearly whimpered in protest.

Breathing having returned to normal, Eren couldn't wipe the smile off of his face. "So...I guessed right?"

Levi made an annoyed sound and swiftly grasped the back of Eren's head and press their mouths together once more. He pulled back, staring as coolly as he always did. "You're fucking oblivious, brat. It's a wonder you aren't dead yet."

The insult didn't faze him though, as he looked out the large window of Levi's room, past the telescope and charts, into the night sky. Stars glittered above, cosmic infinities hanging above the earth with Levi right next to him.

Perhaps their wings weren't clipped after all.

...

_Author's Note: I made some revisions. I adore these two together, and had a wonderful time exploring their interactions._

_Thanks,_

_ValorTheory_


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